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Thus, compared to the cement mixed with the earth, the cement mixed in the space has a more uniform density (which makes it more resistant), but it is also more porous (which weakens it). Or, as Radlinska explains, "we have opposite effects that occur simultaneously!
To determine if the more uniform, but more mellow, space cement is stronger than its ground-mixed brother, Radlinska says they will need to destroy the samples later in 2019, once their microstructural analysis is complete. This will allow them to determine if uniformity or porosity plays a larger role in the overall strength of the cement.
Make cement on other worlds
The obvious benefit of knowing how terrestrial and space cements are different is that it can help researchers identify and explain exactly how gravity affects the cement manufacturing process. Although this has not been a concern in the last five millennia, given the dramatic advances in manned spaceflight over the past 50 years, we will want to know these things before we start using cement on our planet. 39, other worlds.
"During missions on the Moon and Mars, people and equipment will have to be protected from extreme temperatures and radiation, and the only way to do that is to build infrastructure on these extraterrestrial environments," said Radlinska. "One idea is to build a concrete-like material in space, concrete is very strong and offers better protection than many materials."
Concrete, in the basic sense of the term, is simply aggregates such as sand, gravel, rocks – or a mixture of the three – bonded with cement. The advantages of concrete are that it is inexpensive, simple to manufacture and can be shaped to any shape or structure to meet specific needs.
"Concrete is an excellent insulator and an excellent shield against radiation, hence its use for storing nuclear waste," Radlinska said. "Future shelters on [Mars and the Moon] This would require a thick blanket, but a concrete type binder can be used effectively even under extreme extraterrestrial conditions. "
And as an added benefit, the gravel and rocks used to make the concrete do not have to come from the Earth. Because it is the cement that binds these aggregates together, we should be able to create a concrete form using aggregates readily available on other worlds, such as the Lunar Regolith – also known as Dust moon.
As the regolith is made up of fine, notoriously shredded dust particles, Radlinska says that it could potentially help reduce the porosity and increase the strength of the concrete obtained. This is why they have already done preliminary work focused on the lunar regolith. She says that they are currently submitting this work for publication.
So, by mixing cement in space for the first time, the researchers not only showed that they could do it, but they also set up future avenues of research that will help us adapt the space cement to our specific extraterrestrial needs.
"We have confirmed the hypothesis that this could be done," says Radlinksa. "We can now go to the following steps to find specific workbooks for space and for varying levels of severity, from scratch [gravity] to Mars [gravity] and in between. "
Although the researchers remain discreet about the specific binders that would work best for space cement, Radlinska said: "We have several ideas and [a] working hypothesis of what would be the next "best" material. We can not disclose them for the moment. "
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